Tompkins Wake
A New Zealand law firm founded in Hamilton in 1922, with offices in Hamilton, Auckland, Rotorua and Tauranga.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Tompkins Wake is a New Zealand law firm headquartered in Hamilton and serving clients through offices in Hamilton, Auckland, Rotorua and Tauranga. It was established as Tompkins and Wake on 22 June 1922 by Hamilton lawyers Lance Tompkins and Cecil Barry Wake, the latter generally known as Barry Wake. The firm has retained the names of its founders despite changes to its partnership structure and periods of expansion. The practice has traditionally operated as a full-service commercial and private-client law firm. Its publicly documented areas of work include corporate and mergers and acquisitions, banking and finance, projects and resource management, real estate and construction, dispute resolution, intellectual property, information technology and telecommunications, employment and safety, insolvency and restructuring, family and relationship property, Māori law, Māori land and Treaty of Waitangi matters, and biotechnology law. Its work spans transactional, regulatory, contentious and advisory assignments rather than a single specialist legal niche. The firm's history is closely connected with the Waikato legal community. Lance Tompkins became a prominent lawyer in Hamilton and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1958. He was called to the Supreme Court in 1963. His son, Sir David Tompkins, studied law from 1947 to 1952, became a partner of the firm and later a Queen's Counsel before serving as a High Court judge in Auckland. He also served as Chancellor of the University of Waikato from 1981 to 1985. During the 1960s through the 1980s, the practice used the name Tompkins, Wake, Paterson and Bathgate before returning to Tompkins Wake. Tompkins Wake has used distinctive public-facing initiatives to draw attention to regional legal practice. In 2009 it launched the “Case for Hamilton,” a deliberately provocative campaign that threatened legal action against the rest of New Zealand, arguing that the difficulty of recruiting lawyers to Hamilton created an unfair disadvantage. The initiative was widely noted as a recruitment and regional-pride exercise rather than a conventional litigation strategy. The firm expanded through combinations and new offices. In November 2010 it acquired Swarbrick Dixon, a move described as creating Hamilton's largest law firm at the time. It opened an Auckland office in 2012 and merged with Davys Burton in Rotorua in November 2014. These steps broadened its geographic reach while preserving its base in the Waikato. The firm has also received repeated recognition from New Zealand and international legal directories and awards programs, particularly for corporate and M&A, dispute resolution, projects and resources, real estate and construction, banking and finance, technology, family law and employer practices. Publicly available recognition through 2022 includes firm rankings, individual lawyer listings and awards for mid-sized law firm performance, employer of choice and managing-partner leadership. No public financial or stock-market information is identified in the supplied references.
History
Tompkins Wake traces its origins to Hamilton, New Zealand, where Lance Tompkins and Cecil Barry Wake founded Tompkins and Wake on 22 June 1922. The firm developed within the Waikato legal community and continued to use its founders' names through later changes in partnership composition and geographic expansion. Lance Tompkins became a prominent Hamilton lawyer. His professional distinctions included appointment as Queen's Counsel in 1958 and a call to the Supreme Court in 1963. His son, Sir David Tompkins, studied law between 1947 and 1952 and graduated from the then University of New Zealand with an LLB. He subsequently became a partner of Tompkins Wake and was appointed Queen's Counsel. His later career took him to the High Court bench in Auckland, and he served as Chancellor of the University of Waikato from 1981 to 1985. The practice was not continuously known by its current short form. During the 1960s through the 1980s it operated under the extended name Tompkins, Wake, Paterson and Bathgate, before returning to Tompkins Wake. The retention of the founding names gave the firm continuity while its service offering and partnership evolved. In 2009, Tompkins Wake attracted national attention with the “Case for Hamilton.” The initiative presented the firm's recruitment difficulties as a mock or provocative legal case against the rest of New Zealand. Its premise was that the concentration of legal talent and opportunity outside Hamilton made it difficult for a regional firm to recruit lawyers. The campaign functioned as a marketing and talent-attraction effort, using humour and local advocacy to promote Hamilton as a place to work. The firm then pursued a more formal expansion strategy. In November 2010 it acquired Swarbrick Dixon, creating what contemporary descriptions identified as Hamilton's largest law firm. In 2012 it opened an Auckland office, extending its reach into New Zealand's largest commercial centre. In November 2014 it merged with Davys Burton in Rotorua, adding another established regional presence. The firm's listed office network has included Hamilton, Auckland, Rotorua and Tauranga. Tompkins Wake has presented itself as a broad-based law practice rather than a narrow specialist. Public directory and awards references identify work in corporate and M&A, banking and finance, projects and resource management, real estate and construction, dispute resolution, intellectual property, technology and telecommunications, employment and safety, insolvency and restructuring, family and relationship property, Māori law and biotechnology law. Its clients and matters therefore span commercial transactions, infrastructure and property development, contentious proceedings, regulatory questions and private-client needs. From 2016 through 2022, the firm and its lawyers received recognition in programs including The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, Chambers and Partners, Best Lawyers, Benchmark Litigation, IFLR1000, Asialaw Profiles, Doyles Guide and the New Zealand Law Awards. The supplied record includes repeated firm recognition for corporate and M&A, projects and resources, dispute resolution, intellectual property, real estate and construction, banking and finance, and employer practices. It also records awards or finalist positions for mid-size law firm performance, employer of choice and managing-partner leadership. Individual lawyers were recognized in areas including biotechnology, corporate law, technology, telecommunications, arbitration and mediation, litigation, family law, construction, banking and finance. The available references do not establish a current managing partner, ownership structure, revenue, employee count, or current website. Accordingly, those details are left unreported rather than inferred.
- 2014
Merger with Davys Burton
[1]Tompkins Wake merged with Davys Burton in Rotorua in November.
- 2012
Auckland office opened
[1]The firm established an office in Auckland.
- 2010
Acquisition of Swarbrick Dixon
[1]Tompkins Wake acquired Swarbrick Dixon in November, expanding its Hamilton practice.
- 2009
“Case for Hamilton” campaign
[1]The firm used a mock legal threat against the rest of New Zealand to highlight its difficulty recruiting lawyers to Hamilton.
- 1963
Lance Tompkins called to the Supreme Court
[1]Lance Tompkins was called to the Supreme Court.
- 1958
Lance Tompkins appointed Queen's Counsel
[1]Founder Lance Tompkins received appointment as Queen's Counsel.
- 1922
Firm founded in Hamilton
[1]Lance Tompkins and Cecil Barry Wake established Tompkins and Wake in Hamilton on 22 June 1922.
Products and positioning
A full-service, regionally rooted New Zealand law firm combining a long Hamilton history with offices and client work in several major North Island centres. Its public profile emphasizes mid-market commercial capability, complex disputes, projects, property, technology and private-client legal work.
Legal services
Corporate and mergers and acquisitions
Advice for companies, shareholders and investors on corporate structuring, governance, commercial transactions and mergers and acquisitions. Public directory references repeatedly identify corporate and M&A as a core area of the firm's practice and recognition.
Legal services
Projects, infrastructure and resource management
Legal work connected with projects, infrastructure, energy and natural resources, environmental matters and other development programs. The practice has been recognized in directory listings for projects and resource management.
Legal services
Real estate and construction
Transactional, development and contentious advice involving property, construction projects and related commercial arrangements. The firm's public recognition includes real estate and construction rankings and construction-law practitioner listings.
Legal services
Dispute resolution
Litigation, arbitration, mediation and commercial dispute services. Chambers, Benchmark Litigation and The Legal 500 have identified the firm and individual lawyers in dispute-resolution and arbitration-related categories.
Legal services
Technology, intellectual property and biotechnology
Advice concerning intellectual property, information technology, telecommunications and biotechnology. The supplied recognition record includes repeated biotechnology listings and recognition for technology, information technology and telecommunications law.
Legal services
Private-client and family law
Family and relationship property advice, alongside Māori law, Māori land and Treaty of Waitangi work. Directory references describe the firm as a leading or recommended practice in family and relationship property and Māori-related legal services.
Marketing campaigns
- 2009Case for Hamilton
New Zealand
Tompkins Wake publicly framed the difficulty of recruiting lawyers to Hamilton as a case against the rest of New Zealand and threatened legal action in a deliberately provocative campaign.
Outcome. The initiative generated public attention and promoted Hamilton as a place to build a legal career; the supplied material does not document a resulting lawsuit or quantified recruitment outcome.
Brand decisions
2014
Merger with Davys BurtonM&ABackground
Tompkins Wake continued developing a multi-office North Island practice.
Action taken
The firm merged with Davys Burton in Rotorua in November 2014.
Aftermath
The merger expanded the firm's Rotorua operations and regional footprint.
2012
Expansion into AucklandStrategyBackground
The firm pursued broader geographic coverage beyond its Hamilton base.
Action taken
Tompkins Wake opened an Auckland office.
Aftermath
The move gave the firm a presence in New Zealand's largest commercial centre; no further quantified result is provided.
2010
Acquisition of Swarbrick DixonM&ABackground
Tompkins Wake sought to expand its Hamilton platform and strengthen its regional position.
Action taken
The firm acquired Swarbrick Dixon in November 2010.
Aftermath
The combined practice was described as Hamilton's largest law firm at the time.
Recent events
- 2014
Tompkins Wake merges with Davys Burton in Rotorua[1]
M&A
A November merger with Davys Burton expanded the firm's Rotorua presence and regional coverage.
- 2012
Tompkins Wake opens an Auckland office[1]
Other
The firm expanded its North Island presence by opening an Auckland office.
- 2010
Tompkins Wake acquires Swarbrick Dixon[1]
M&A
The firm acquired Swarbrick Dixon in November, creating what was described as Hamilton's largest law firm at the time.
- 2009
Tompkins Wake launches the “Case for Hamilton”[1]
Campaign · Other
The firm mounted a highly publicized recruitment campaign that threatened legal action against the rest of New Zealand over the difficulty of attracting lawyers to Hamilton.
Sources1 sources
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